Chinese "green Card": how to get it and who got it

With the approval of China's State Council, the Minister of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Li Zhaoxing, jointly endorsed Decree No.74 and officially issued the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Foreigners in China. 

According to this regulation, foreigners with eligibility for permanent residence in China will be granted a certificate of identification commonly known as a "Green Card."

The regulation has 29 articles in all, specifying the explicit provisions on the prerequisites for foreigners wishing to apply for permanent residence permits in China, required supporting documents, steps to be followed, limits of authority, and cancellation of eligibility, etc. 

With the Green Card, You can: 

• stay in China for an unlimited period of time.

• enter and leave the country with your valid passport and Foreigner Permanent Residence Permits, with no need to obtain visas
  

• use the Greencard as your single legal document during your time in China.
  

• have a card even more useful than the resettlement certificate or permanent residence certificate. 

However, you should not: 

• Endanger national security and interests.

• Be sentenced to expulsion from China by the People's Court.

• Gain permanent resident status in China by means of fraud.

• Lack proof of residence in China for less than the required number of years. 

Your status of permanent residence may be revoked in the above circumstances.

Shanghai has granted around 500 permanent resident cards to foreigners in the two months following the country's April adoption of a streamlined application procedure. That's nearly 30 percent of the country's total, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said on Tuesday.

Getting China's "green card" is considered one of the most difficult tasks in the world. But the country has eased the process by streamlining procedures and lowering the threshold for applicants. According to the Ministry of Public Security, in 2016 alone 1,576 foreigners became permanent residents in China, up 163 percent year-on-year. 

The permanent resident permit issued to the foreigners by China, or the Chinese "green card", was first introduced in 2004. The number of Chinese "green card" holders had passed the 10,000 mark by 2016.

How you could get it?

In order to qualify for "green card", you should meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Direct investment in China with good rate paying record. Stable business.

• Be a high-level talent.

• Work in key industries or fields that receive State support.

• Make great contribution to China, or posses skill specially needed by China.

• Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, or a dependent minor or senior citizen.

Who got one of this cards?

Here are some renowned expats who received the Chinese "Green Card".

• Stephon Marbury

         (Stephon Marbury receiving his green card)

Stephon Marbury is the first foreign basketball player ever to receive Chinese "green card", on April 18, 2016. The former NBA All-Star played in China since 2010 and led the Beijing Ducks to three CBA (China Basketball Association) titles between 2012 and 2015. Having retired in Feb, 2018, he has committed himself to promoting basketball and developing young players in China.

• Kurt Wuethrich

(Kurt Wuethrich with his Green Card)

Kurt Wuethrich from Switzerland received the permanent residence card in Shanghai on April 2, 2018. He won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2002 and is a chaired professor at Shanghai Tech University.

• Joan Hinton

(Joan Hinton with his green card)

Joan Hinton was the first foreigner to receive the permanent resident permit, in 2004. She was a nuclear physicist and one of the few women scientists who worked for the Manhattan Project. Moving to China in 1948, she had dedicated herself to the improvement of agricultural machinery and diary industry and lived in China for over 50 years.